Florida isn't just a city of sunshine and theme parks, it's the most budget-friendly tropical getaway in the USA. Cheap flights and easy road trips make it easy for most people to jump on.
Once you land, the Sunshine State caters to all tastes (cliche alert!), whether you're interested in escaping the posh city, chasing down “Florida Man” tales, or just soaking up the funky Florida vibe. We all enjoy the white sand beaches, crystal clear springs, and great diving sites. If you've never been kissed by a manatee, you're missing out on something very special!
Key West is for lovers
There was a time when Key West wasn't on your list of cheap vacations. That was before Breeze Airlines started offering economy flights to the southernmost point. With its island atmosphere, Key West is perhaps the most affordable of the Caribbean vacations, no passport required. You'll still need to shop well for a hotel, but between golf carts and biking you won't need a car in Key West.
What makes Key West unique is all the tours, especially the water sports. You can snorkel the mainland's only live coral reef, kayak the mangroves, snorkel the Vandenberg Wreck, or cruise around the seven-square-mile island on jet skis. Couples will love watching the sunset at Mallory Square, sharing key lime pie and oyster fritters, then bar hopping on Duval Street (another good reason not to have a car).
Fort Lauderdale for couples
Fort Lauderdale is known as the Venice of America because it has more than 165 miles of canals for taxi boat tours, riverboat adventures, or just canal-side dining at Los Olas. It's a beautiful city with amazing outdoor adventure scenery, including amazing diving, airboat tours through the Everglades, and the world's largest loggerhead turtle nests.
Fort Lauderdale has a great airport and practical light rail up and down the coast so you can visit without a car. You can save enough money to stay in luxury beachfront resorts or stay in a budget hotel.
Space Coast Flights
Roughly speaking, the Space Coast extends from Daytona to Melbourne and includes many “Florida-only” vacations. For the uninitiated, as the name suggests, this is America's Spaceport, where you can visit the Kennedy Space Center or watch launches if you time it right. It's also home to outdoor adventures like the best surfing on the East Coast, kayaking adventures like bioluminescent paddling, and exploring miles of mangrove tunnels. Combine that with the “most famous beach in the world” at Daytona and the 260-mile St. John River to Sea Loop bike trail, and you'll see that the Space Coast has a lot to offer.
Budget-conscious couples will find hotels that generally offer more for less than those on the Gulf Coast. You'll also save enough food money to pay for gas and tolls for the 40-minute drive from Orlando.
Orlando Vacations
Orlando is a family vacation mecca because what good parent doesn't want to shell out money to Walt Disney World and Universal Study for an immersive week at their intellectual property? With two of the cheapest airports in America, getting to Orlando isn't easy, but what can couples do once they arrive? In short, there are many romantic hotels and adventurous things to do in Orlando.
In town, you can explore the Disney Resorts with a one-of-a-kind theme park experience and without park tickets or crying babies. There are fireworks on Polynesian and Skyliner cruises to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, a CityWalk boat tour, and some of Orlando's best restaurants, including Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, which has the largest collection of South African wines outside of South Africa. Orlando is a hip, modern city with a vibrant nightlife. Combine all that with trips to beaches near Orlando and day trips to Central Florida, and you'll see why couples want to make that trip to O-Town.
Florida Gulf Coast Vacations
The white sand beaches on Florida's Gulf Coast are simply stunning. Siesta Key Beach is consistently ranked as the best beach in America, and with its Sarasota circus past, bombing on Cayo Costa, or shark tooth hunting on Venice Beach, there's plenty of variety, too. However, Clearwater Beach usually gets the award for best “beach town,” so let’s find out what these towns have to offer.
St. Petersburg tops Strategistico's list of Florida's most liberal cities because of its comprehensive downtown and seven distinct arts districts. Ybor City is a thriving entertainment district with great restaurants, and Tampa is a thriving city. There are plenty of cheap flights and a wide range of affordable hotels, so you'll have enough left over to plan an adventure or two.
Central Florida Adventures
Central Florida is known for its springs. Turn-of-the-century spas presented these springs as a fountain of youth therapy that would cure all your ailments and aches. Today, people flock to it because it's just clean fun, and since the water temperature reaches 71 degrees, it's a great way to beat the summer heat. Of course, you can canoe and kayak on many of the spring trails, with Ichetucknee Island and Wekiva Island being local favorites. For the more adventurous, you can kayak with wild monkeys at Silver Springs, dive in a crystal-clear river at Rainbow Springs, or dive into any number of inland caves. You can also take a seaplane tour from a spring-fed lake.
Cheap hotels abound in Central Florida, but make sure they meet your expectations. Otherwise, you can set off from Tampa or Orlando and take day trips into the spring country. One fun option is to try a little houseboat tour out of DeLand, which has a very nice downtown scene where we had the best chicken masala ever at Cress!
Panama City Beach Road Trips
Let's get this out in the open; Florabama is real and not just a place where fish are thrown across state lines. If you come to Panama City Beach expecting to visit Miami, you will be disappointed. However, we love PCB and think Shell Island might be the most beautiful beach in Florida, and there are plenty of romantic things to do in Panama City Beach, including snorkeling and dolphin tours in St. Andrews Bay, which has the largest residential aquarium. Dolphins in the world.
PCB is attractive to budget travelers because it is a true beach driving destination. You can find hotels at all levels, from beachfront condos to adults-only resorts. In fact, not only did we make PCB on our list of the most romantic Florida vacations, but Firefly Restaurant is our champion for the best crab bisque…. anywhere!
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Hello! We are Ed and Jane Coleman also known as Coleman Concierge. In short, we are a 10th generation couple from Huntsville sharing our stories of amazing adventures through transformative and experiential activity-based travel.
